Call for action to help complete park

SPARC, the Sterling Play Area Recreation (Sub)Committee, would like to thank the community members who spent hours volunteering at the Sterling Fair, and those in our community who bought bricks to support the park. During the fair weekend, with 18 brick sales, face painting, t-shirts, water sales, and balloons, we raised about $3,000 for the park! We also wanted to thank the many volunteers who have helped prepare the park for the Fall Festival Fundraiser on October 19. The park is sparkling, and it really is taking shape to be a wonderful Sterling resource.

Lastly, we want to thank Guaranty Auto of Clinton, who has offered to sponsor the Fall Festival. With this generous monetary contribution, the net proceeds from the Fall Festival will be greater, as most of our expenses are now covered! SPARC is a small committee with big ideas for ways to raise money to finish Phase II, but the reality is we can't act on these ideas without the help of our community and it's volunteers. So, thank you!

We've heard recently that some misconceptions have arisen because of the park's name, "Sterling Greenery Community Park." Some believe that Sterling Greenery, the privately owned business the park is named after, is the sole stakeholder in the maintenance of the park. The park is a Sterling public resource, owned by the town. We all have a stake in the park's welfare. Sterling Greenery was generous enough to answer the first call for help, with enough of a monetary contribution to be able to name the park, which was approved at a town meeting. Can other businesses or philanthropists answer now?

We are still many thousands of dollars away from the other planned play equipment, the most expensive being the play set for 5- to 12-year-olds. Also planned is the nature theme to be installed as a learning tool, picnic tables, the pergola structure and other play equipment pieces. We've sold 140 bricks, but we need to sell a thousand more to completely finish the park! Stop by the Fall Festival to purchase the brick you've been thinking about for a while, and save 10% off your purchase for that day only.

Don't let this "call for action" detract from the appreciation of the other local businesses and individual contributors who have generously helped along the way. Their efforts have allowed hundreds to enjoy this new Sterling gem. Check out http://sgpark.org to see the list of sponsors, and to learn about ways to contribute, the upcoming events, and more, or call Erin O'Connor at 978-422-6830 if you can help. We have a long way to go, and we need the Sterling community to rally around the park! See you on the 19th!